I just purchased an AEM cold Air, put it on and two days later I get a check engine light. According to my dealer here in Ct (Bob Sharp) the oil in the filter burnt out the MAF. anybody else have this problem? want to charge me 650$ to fix.

 

Jdog, not on the Z, but I had a TBird with a K&N and a few K miles later my MAF went bad as well.

Seems to do with excess oil from the filter going on to the filament on the MAF.

This is the first I read about a MAF on the Z going bad, with so many AEMs and Injens out there I would have thought it would be a common problem.

 

I would bet that the dealer is blaming it on the AEM just to avoid replacing the MAF under warranty. Remember, he has to prove to you how it caused the problem. I would even get it in writing and pass it along to AEM for their official response.

 

I second that...

 

I would throw the stock intake back on and goto another dealer. I mean, why in the world would you take your car to a dealer for a check engine light after the fact that it happened right after you installed the AEM CAI AND leave that part on there?! Of course they're going to blame it on that part...

 

well, how else would air filter oil get on the MAF sensor? Dealer gets paid by nissan for warranty repairs, so they wouldnt gain anything by not covering it if it wasn't the aem

 

I don't own my Z yet, but I can tell you that with my Injen CAI on my Celica, I would regularly pull tha MAF outta the intake, check it, and clean it with rubbing alcohol on a Q-Tip to get the dirt and oil off it. I did it everytime I changed oil just to keep it at regular intervals. Never through CELs after that.

Oh and after cleaning and oiling your K&N, I'm guessing right away there is a good chance of excess oil being sucked up the pipe if too much was sprayed on.

-Dana

 

My recommendation: Put the stock intake back on and take it to another dealer to have them dianose the code(s).

 

True, but I doubt that the dealer has tech on hand that are trained enough in electyonic circuits to know how a MAF was damaged...

 

actually the oil from the K&N filters (even the drop in one) will burn out your MAF...

havent you guys paid attention when I said something about that before...

This is WHY i havent gotten any type of intake mod for my car just yet...

ALTHOUGH! I hear if you mount the MAF upside down (underside of piping) then it wont do this...

So now im going to get a nismo intake...

 

Nismo Intake = expensive version of AEM CAI

 

Nismo Intake - comes with valve that doesnt let water get into your system...

Nismo Intake = BLACK

 

It's true the dealership gets paid by Nissan for warranty work...however, it's at a lesser rate! That's why some dealerships try to get out of warranty repair work. If they can charge us 65.00 / hour for work, Nissan may have a negotiated rate of 30.00 / hour.....so it's much more beneficial for the dealers to charge us............but I've found most dealerships to be fairly honest. I would recommend the advice offered above, take off the part and bring it to another dealership..........the hassel is worth the $$.

 

that is not warrenty repair...

OIL from a FILTER that is not OEM SPEC burnt out the MAF...

Remember... Nismo Intake isnt even covered under dealer warrenty being R-Tune... And it states that in the book...

Now you may find some dealerships that will gladly fix it...

But most will give you a hard time...

 

Well, actually, no, because you just look weird...

J/K J/K

 

bill gates looks weird but all you peecee users swear by him and his shi tie software...

 

does the oil actually burn out the sensor, or does it just clog the maf?

 

Listen, these are your only options. I would suggest #3 because it is honest and you should have known better. However, #2 has the potential to be the cheapest.

1. Go with the dealer you have now and pay $600+
2. Put the stock intake back on and try to fake it. With the popularity of intakes, this is not likely to work and it is dishonest.
3. Buy a new MAF for $350.00 from nissan-auto-parts-dealer.com and install it yourself. Thats right, the dealer is charging you $250 to install that simple thing.

 

If you install an oil catch tank there shouldn't be any oil inside the piping or filter.

 

Plus the fact that they can charge you $600 for a part they probably paid $300 for. As far as the oil contamination, it is possible but it probably depends on the amount of oil on the filter when you installed it. Over time dust and dirt may absorb some of the oil making it less likely this would happen which may explain why it happened right after the install. I blotted the inside and outside of the filter cone before I installed mine. I am assuming that the AEM filter is a reusuable type. If so, wash it and re-oil it with less oil.